A Day in the Life…

Each week in July, read about our series on careers in Clark County as explored by Valorie Brecht or Cheyenne Thomas.

Clark County dispatchers provide 24/7 service to those who need assistance

By Captain Lea Sterry, Clark County Sheriff’s Office; information compiled by Cheyenne Thomas

No matter the day nor the hour, Clark County’s dispatchers are ready to answer a call for help. Almost like guardian angels, these dispatchers watch and wait for the inevitable moment when someone dials 911 asking for help. Acting as a critical connecting point between caller and emergency response crews, these individuals provide a calm rock even in the midst of the most difficult emergencies. Captain Lea Sterry of the Clark County Communications Center provided a window into all that goes into the day-to-day work of a county dispatcher, ensuring that calls are attended to efficiently. The following are her comments.

The Clark County Communications Center is manned by a minimum of two dispatchers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Their shifts run from 5 a.m.–5 p.m. or 5 p.m.–5 a.m. When fully staffed, we will have 12 dispatchers with three dispatchers working per shift. Currently we are at minimal staffing with eight dispatchers (two working each shift). This group of dispatchers have a wide range of experience ranging from 25 years to one year of experience. We have three dispatchers who are currently in training and one who is in the last phase of the hiring process. We also currently have one reserve dispatcher who is able to fill in when available and one reserve dispatch who is currently training.

The Clark County Communications Center dispatches for the sheriff’s office, seven police departments and 16 fire/EMS departments within our county. They are also responsible for contacting surrounding counties for assistance from 12 fire/ EMS departments that respond from outside our county. The dispatchers are cross-trained in all duties. They take both emergency and non-emergency calls, gather information and dispatch the appropriate responding units.

Dispatchers try to arrive for duty 10-15 minutes early. This allows them to receive pass-on information from the dispatchers they are relieving. Pass-on information includes a brief summary of active calls, information on critical calls that took place during the previous shift and calls they may expect during their shift.

To prepare for their shift, dispatchers have to log into four different computers and 13 different programs which include Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), Priority Dispatch (our emergency medical dispatching program), Jail Tracker, TAC10 Records Management System (RMS), Time System Control Center System (TIME), RapidSOS, MACH, Instant Retrieval, court security cameras, school security cameras, email, latitude/longitude search and IES 911 Phone System. All programs are displayed between nine different computer screens.

A dispatcher’s main role for the day is taking emergency and non-emergency calls. With each call, they gather important information such as the caller’s name, address/ location, telephone number and what is going on. Based on information given by the caller, they may have to ask additional questions. If it is a medical call, dispatchers will use our emergency medical dispatching program to assist them with giving medical instructions. Dispatchers will then prioritize the call and determine if an officer, fire, EMS and/ or a helicopter should be dispatched.

Daily call volume is for the most part completely unpredictable, and there are so many different call types. The most often received calls would be medical calls, 911 misdials (when someone accidentally calls 911), suspicious activity and traffic complaints. We see a significant rise in 911 calls during weather events, snowstorms in the winter and severe weather in the summer. Holidays and the summer season often create a rise in calls as well, as more people are out and about.

As dispatchers take a call, they are documenting all information into the CAD system. Depending the severity of the call, their partners may assist in dispatching the call over the radio. To dispatch an officer, they will utilize a channel specific to law enforcement. To page fire and/or EMS, they first send out tones which are heard on their pagers. Once the tones are complete, they will give a short, detailed description of what is going on.

From there, the dispatchers monitor several radio frequencies waiting for the officer, fire and/or EMS to acknowledge the information that was given. They continue to monitor, waiting for the officer/fire/EMS to advise when they go enroute to the call, arrive on scene and leave the scene. They also monitor for any questions, clarifications, if there is a need for wreckers/interpreters or if directions are needed. All radio traffic is documented in the specific call related to it.

Aside from call taking, dispatchers also perform multiple other daily duties. Our communications center is very different from others in that they also take care of jail visiting. When someone comes to visit an individual in our jail, they come to the dispatch window and speak to a dispatcher. The visitor’s information is verified and documented in the Jail Tracker system. The dispatcher then allows the visitor into the visiting area.

Each dispatcher also has a specific duty of either a validations officer or an Emergency Dispatch Quality Assurance Specialist (EMD-Q). A validations officer validates records that are entered into the TIME computer system, which include warrants, protection orders, missing persons and stolen vehicles/part/articles. A record must be validated after entry, then in six months and then every year after that. Validations officers must contact all appropriate parties and review specific documentation to ensure the entry is still valid and contains the most up to date information. They validate approximately 100 records a month.

EMD-Q’s role is to review a random number of emergency medical calls to objectively and consistently measure performance, ensuring expectations are being met. They review 74 calls a month.

Other daily duties include entering warrants, protection orders, missing persons and stolen vehicles/part/articles into the TIME system, monitoring the court, testing fire and EMS pagers, activating tornado sirens, opening storm shelters, testing of courthouse alarms, screening employees requesting entry to the courthouse after hours, answering general questions, directing callers to the appropriate department and updating records.

There is a process in place for addressing dispatcher performance issues as it relates to EMD. Priority Dispatch is the EMD program that we use and based on the number of EMD calls taken each year, our EMD-Qs are required to review a specific number of calls. The computer system will randomly select the calls to be reviewed. The first step in the process is for the call to be reviewed by the EMD-Q. If the handling of the call does not meet specific standard set by Priority Dispatch, the EMD-Q will review and discuss the call with the dispatcher who took it. If the issue is not resolved, then there will be further training with the dispatcher which would include review of standards, testing on the standards not being met and practice calls.

Dispatch training will look completely different for each agency as there is initially no required training like there is for a patrol or corrections deputy. Our initial training is done onsite by one of our communications training officers (CTOs). The initial training process lasts approximately six months, but may be adjusted based on experience and/or training progress. During the initial training process, all dispatchers will receive CPR training/certification, EMD training/certification and TIME system training. CPR is a requirement by Priority Dispatch and a dispatcher must recertify every two years as part of their EMD training. EMD and EMD-Q requires recertification every two years. For recertification, EMD must have 24 hours of continuing education and an EMD-Q must have 30 hours. Both also have to pass a test. TIME system training also required recertification every two years. Other ongoing training is provided in-house or off-site through conference/other agencies and on-line. CTOs must also attend a specific officer training.

It is very hard to actually put into words what a day in the life of a dispatcher is like. The only true way would be to have someone sit in their seat to experience the fast-paced environment, the fluctuation of highs and lows, and the multi-tasking needed to be proficient at what they do.

Clark County dispatchers work to help 911 callers during one of their shifts at the Clark County Communications Center. The department currently has two dispatchers working each shift to cover the county 24/7, with eight total dispatchers. As part of their duties, dispatchers will not only communicate with callers, but also be in contact with various emergency agencies to provide people with the response they need to whatever crisis they are experiencing.

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